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Fundraising and Engagement Ideas

NEW FOR 2020 All of these can be done virtually. Talk to your United Way representative about online donation collection. More virtual opportunities below this section are marked with *.

Virtual Silent Auction The company donates auction items such as office furniture, printers, scanners, computers, corporate box seats at a sporting event, company apparel, etc. Employees can also donate items/services. All proceeds go to United Way. Ask your United Way representative for best practices and recommended online platforms. Virtual Family Feud and “Jeoparty” Host a Family Feud or “Jeoparty” Competition where colleagues create teams and compete against each other throughout the campaign. Create a Digital Company Cookbook Have colleagues enter in recipes for a small fee and once the entries are in make it into an e-book to use as an incentive to give. “Buy our company cookbook and the money raised from the sale of these cookbooks will go to support United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Child Well-Being Movement”.

DIY YouTube Channel Create a YouTube channel where colleagues can upload videos of their DIY projects, they are completed during quarantine.

Zoom Meeting Bingo Create a list of items that happen while on a zoom call that your colleagues can check off throughout the course of the campaign or year to earn bingo. These items could include things such as, dog barks, child walks behind screen, person stays muted while talking, someone enters late, etc. Virtual 5K Run/Walk Host a Virtual 5K event where colleagues can register. Use platforms such as GiveLively to execute the event.

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NEW FOR 2020 (CONTINUED) Virtual Open Mic Night

Host an open mic night where members of the company can join in to sing their favorite songs and enjoy a happy hour.

Virtual Cooking Classes Have a member of the staff that enjoys cooking host a cooking class one night. That host will send out a recipe of what will be cooked during the class so that members have time to go get the grocery items.

Virtual Talent Show Host a talent show where colleagues can show off some of their unique talents. This can also be something that can be open to the families of colleagues. Ask your United Way representative about best practices. Drive-in Movie Night Host a drive-in movie night where members of the staff and their families can come in and enjoy a movie night. Virtual Hike Have a day where members of the staff get outside and enjoy hikes. They can share videos, pictures, and other activities from their hikes on social media using company tags.

WORKPLACE ACTIVITIES *Appreciation/Compliment Grams Design notes of thanks or congratulations for co-workers to buy and send to each other. This could also be done virtually! Balloon Grams Sell balloons with notes of recognition inside and deliver to co-workers. Change Bandit A co-worker dresses as a bandit (as approved by company security.) Have him or her visit employees to procure spare change.

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WORKPLACE ACTIVITIES (CONTINUED) Spare Change Jars Place empty jars near vending machines or gathering places. Ask employees to deposit spare change throughout the year for United Way. This can also be a competition between departments (“Penny Wars”) to see who collects the most change in a time frame. White Elephant Sale Employees donate odd items for the sale. Co-workers should have the opportunity to buy items and stipulate in whose workspace these items should be displayed. Set a time frame for which objects must stay in that location. Spelling Bee Hold a spelling bee, charge an entry fee. Have galley observers place bets on their favorite participants. (This could also be done on a video call!) Entertainment Drive Employees donate new or slightly used books, videos, DVDs, board games, puzzles, etc. and hold a sale to benefit United Way. Buy a Boa Purchase brightly colored feather boas for employees to buy. The purchaser chooses a person to wear the boa for the day. In order to get rid of the boa, the wearer must pay to pick another employee to wear the boa. The boa must be worn at least 10 minutes prior to choosing another lucky boa wearer. *Dress Down Day Employees pay to not wear “normal” work attire. Get as casual as needed: jeans, tennis shoes, sports apparel, hats, slippers, etc. Distribute stickers that indicate that they have paid for this privilege. (Make this virtual – employees can pay to not have their camera on during a video meeting!) Guess the Number Fill a clear jar with candy and have employees pay for a chance to guess the number of pieces in the jar. The most accurate guess wins the candy or another prize.

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WORKPLACE ACTIVITIES (CONTINUED) *Psychic Reading A psychic/card reader, preferably one who will donate time, visits the workplace (or phones the employee). Employees pay a small amount to have their fortune read, with proceeds benefiting United Way. Penny Wars Divide the office by department and have a money jar assigned to each. Members of each department deposit pennies, nickels and dimes into their own jar and place quarters or “green” into the jars of other departments. Pennies count as positive while quarters and “green” are negative. The department with the highest positive number (or often the case, the least negative number) wins a lunch provided by the company. Smell the Roses Have a local florist donate flowers or purchase flowers. Employees buy flowers to send to co-workers or for personal use. *Charge Late Fees Employees who arrive late for meetings, or any other tardiness, pay a fee to be donated to United Way. *Bingo Purchase Bingo cards (or download online) and distribute to employees. Every day email a Bingo number to all participants. The first one to reply with “BINGO” wins. The Bingo game continues until all prizes are distributed. Avant-Garde Attire Employees pay to dress in their most dramatic garb to ignite creativity for the day. *Guess the Baby Picture Employees bring their baby pictures to work and post the photos a few days prior to the event. Contestants pay to enter the contest and pay to match employees to their baby pictures. The employee with the highest number of correct matches wins a prize. Tricycle Race Teams race in relay format around the office parking lot on small bikes. Employees bet on which team they think will win. All bets go to United Way.

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WORKPLACE ACTIVITIES (CONTINUED) Fuzzy Slippers / High Heels Find a large size pair of high heels or slippers. Employees pay to choose a co-worker to wear the shoes. Golf Putt Supply a putting green and club. Employees pay per putt for a chance to win prizes. High Score Place a dart board in the office and sell dart board shots. Award prizes to winners. Office Olympics Fire up the Olympic Torch (or grill) and let the games begin. Have a tricycle or office chair race. Use items around your work location for golfing, shooting baskets, etc. Have spelling contests, typing contests, contests to develop the most persuasive or most complimentary memo, etc. Devise rules for each race in advance and seek participants. Combine the event with a cookout. Design award medals to display in the cubicles of winners. Karaoke Contest Each location, department or team nominates one employee to sing a song. Choose a variety of music or “spotlight” a particular theme of music. The winner is chosen by audience applause or a panel of judges. Balloon Pop Surprise Put a prize note in each balloon (soda, jeans day, gift card, candy bar, sports tickets, etc.). Be sure to have one big prize. Place balloons in a contained area and have participants pay to pop balloons for prizes.

AUCTION & RAFFLE *Informative Meeting Incentives Hold a workplace meeting and have a representative from United Way and/or a partner agency speaker give a presentation. Offer donuts, coffee or raffle tickets to attendees. (This could be made virtual with a raffle and/or intangible incentives.)

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AUCTION & RAFFLE (CONTINUED)

Box Raffle Boxes are placed in high-trafficked areas with the name of a prize on each. Employees buy tickets and put them in the boxes corresponding to the prize they want to win. A winner is drawn from each box. *Silent Auction The company donates auction items such as office furniture, printers, scanners, computers, corporate box seats at a sporting event, company apparel, etc. Employees can also donate items/services. All proceeds go to United Way. Executive Chef Auction off dinner for two or more at the home of an executive. Front Row Parking Raffle front row parking spots for a year, or during the winter months. Paid Parking Raffle/Auction off a year’s worth of free parking. *Getaway Have co-workers donate time at their vacation cottages to the highest bidder. *Lunch with CEO Auction or raffle off lunch with the CEO – CEO’s treat! *Extra Vacation Day Raffle/Auction off a day or ½ day of vacation.

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FOOD & FESTIVITIES Bake Sale Employees buy employee-donated baked goods with donations benefiting United Way.

Build Your Own Ice Cream Sundaes Have a wide variety of sundae toppings (nuts, fruit, cookies, gummy bears, crushed candy bars, whipped cream, cherries, etc.) available for employees to build their own sundaes. Nacho/Pretzel Sale Sell large plates of nachos and/or soft pretzels with cheese and jalapeno peppers. Donate proceeds to United Way. Ethnic Food Festival Ask employees to bring dishes symbolic of their heritage or recipes “handed down” from family members along with interesting facts about their heritage. Another option is to have various departments sponsor a lunch representing a specific ethnicity.

Ice Cream Cart On a hot day, visit employee cubicles and offices selling popsicles, ice cream sandwiches and other cold snacks. Donate proceeds to United Way. Peanuts, Get Your Peanuts! Decorate a pushcart with a sports theme. Stock the cart with individual bags of salted peanuts, chips, hot dogs, soda and all necessary condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish, onion.) Visit cubicles and sell items. This is a great way to kick-off any sports season. Potluck Post a sign-up sheet for employees to bring entrees, salads and desserts to ensure a variety of food. Decorate the room with a theme. Adjust entry fees for those who bring an item. Tailgate Party Hold a pay-per-plate cookout during lunch. Cook brats, burgers and hot dogs with condiments. Have chips, pretzels, soda and other tailgating items. Chili Cook-off Participants pay to enter their chili into the contest. Choose judges and determine prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. After judging, employees can pay to sample each chili. Remember to supply cheese, sour cream, crackers, TUMS, etc.